Orthodox Churches

On Monday, the 6th/19th of October 2015, His Excellency the President of Georgia, Mr Giorgi Margvelasvili, visited the Patriarchate. He was accompanied by his esteemed wife, the Ambassador of Georgia to Israel and associates of his.

On 28 October 2015, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with William Franklin Graham, President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

They were joined in the meeting hat took place at the Patriarchal and Synodal residence in St. Daniel’s Monastery in Moscow, by Mr. Viktor Hamm, Vice President of the Association, and archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia plans to visit Athos in spring 2016, when the 1,000th anniversary of Russian presence on Athos is set to be celebrated.

"I hope His Holiness will visit Athos in 2016. I think it will most likely happen in spring. Of course, we will try to mark this wonderful date well," head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, told reporters in Moscow on Thursday, responding to a question from Interfax-Religion.

At the end of the solemn meeting of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, in the presence of His Eminence Pavlos, Metropolitan of Drama, the Holy Synod decided to add St. George (Karslides) the New Confessor of Drama to the calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

In the historical parekklesion (chapel) of the Great Martyr St. George of the Patriarchal residence an icon and a reliquary containing a fragment of the holy relics of St. George are sheltered, offered by His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos of Drama on July 20, 2010 on the occasion of the birthday of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and of the re-consecration of the historical parekklesion.

With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia the Fifth International Theological Conference was held in Tbilisi. This year scientists, researchers, and Church figures from Serbia, Greece, Russia, the UK and Australia took part in the conference which was dedicated to the life and activity of St. Maximus the Confessor (c. 580-c. 662; feast: August 13/26).

The All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy were celebrated on October 21 and 22 at the Church of the Intercession at the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos by Metropolitan Yevlogy of Vladimir and Suzdal, Metropolitan Sergy of Ternopol and Kremenets, Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk and Bishop Nil of Murom and Vyazniki.